Canolais the major oilseed crop in Canada. In recent years, management systems for canola production have rapidly evolved and there are now many options for canola cultivation. Here we summarize western Canadian integrated canola management practices that favour canola health as well as economic and environmental sustainability. Canola establishment is optimized when vigourous, certified, hybrid seed is planed relatively early at a rate that is adequate for healthy populations (at least 70 plants m-2). Healthy canola plants in adequate numbers mitigate numerous abiotic (frost, drought, flooding) and biotic (diseases, insects, weeds) threats to optimal canola production. Nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium and a sulphate form of sulphur banded near the seed at the time of seeding often improve crop health. Weeds that emerge with the crop should be controlled by the four leaf stage of the canola. A second in-crop herbicide application is usually not necessary for optimal yields. Disease and insect monitoring are important to determine the necessity of foliar fungicide and insecticide teatments. Using herbicide-resistant (HR) canola cultivars versus non-herbicide-resistant cultivars reduces the need for tillage, improves weed management, protects yield potential, and lowers environmental impact. Compared to other options, economic risks are minimized when glyphosate-resistant canola is planted in late April or early May at 150 seeds m-2 and treated with a single application of glyphosate before the canola advances beyond the four-leaf stage. Although HR canola volunteers have increased somewhat, widely-publicized concerns over their persistence and management have largely been over-stated. Hybrid cultivars, given their superior competitive ability over open pollinated cultivars, are less dependent on additional herbicide applications than less competitive open pollinated cultivars. Furthermore, the rapid early growth of hybrid cultivars may also improve fertilizer use efficiency and reduce soil and atmospheric nutrient losses compared to open pollinated cultivars.
Brassica napus crop health direct seeding hybrids integrated crop management environment
K.Neil Harker George W.Clayton John T.ODonovan Robert E.Blackshaw Stewart Brandt Eric N.Johnson Lloyd M.Dosdall T.Kelly Turkington Elwin G.Smith
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), Lacombe Research Centre, 6000 C&E Trail, Lacombe, Alberta, AAFC, Lethbridge Research Centre, Box 3000, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, TIJ 4B1 AAFC, Beaverlodge Experimental Farm, Box 29, Beaverlodge, Alberta, Can ada, T0H 0C0 AAFC, Scott Experimental Farm, Box 10, Scott, Saskatchewan, Canada, S0K 4A0 Dept.of Agric., Food and Nutritional Sci., 4-10 Agric./Forestry Cent., Univ.of Alberta, Edmonton, Al